PNP, AFP start forming elite unit

MANILA, Philippines - Police and military officials are discussing the creation of an elite force to be deployed during critical situations on orders of President Aquino.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said police training will cover respect for human rights and preservation of a crime scene.

The task force will be comprised of military and police personnel, he added.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said in next year’s proposed P1.64 trillion national budget, the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) is getting some P1.1 billion in fresh funding.

“Some of the funds could and should be invested by the PPSC in fully developing a select group of skillful crisis handlers and negotiators, to be drawn from the various law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Barzaga said the PPSC should also secure the help of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in training the crisis negotiators.

“Our prisons and jails are extremely vulnerable to highly volatile conditions, such as potential rioting and hostage-taking incidents,” he said.

“The FBI has been helping law enforcement agencies around the world in crisis management and negotiations. We should avail of their assistance for the benefit of our own law enforcement agencies.”

FBI negotiators undergo an intensive special course and are constantly updated by research, case studies and activities designed to build up their capabilities to assess, manage and overcome critical incidents, he added.

Barzaga urged the National Bureau of Investigation to establish a new division patterned after the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, which boasts of 340 professional crisis negotiators.

“We are convinced that a strong negotiator, fully and singularly in command of the situation, could have suppressed the Luneta hostage-taking crisis long before it rapidly spun out of control,” he said.

Military: Creation of elite force to take time

The military believes the creation of an elite police-military strike force against hostage takers would take time.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said it would take time to combine the military and the police into a unified force with special equipment and training.

“It (proposal) is still in the drawing board,” he said.

“The thing is this may require doctrinal fine-tuning. It is hard to merge the forces of the police and armed forces.

“Each unit has a specialization. It would be hard to combine them in one unit.”

Speaking over radio dzBB, Mabanta said police are trained to operate in urban areas, while the Army is exposed to jungle and rugged terrain.

“The tactics and technique are different. Interoperability or the equipment may not be compatible but if there are instructions from the President, it may be arranged.”

Mabanta said the Air Force can handle hijackings in airports and planes, while the Navy can deal with hostage taking in ships.

“Nothing yet is finalized. Until it’s done we cannot really move on,” he said.

Angara bats for DNA test

Meanwhile, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said yesterday the clamor to modernize the tactical equipment of the country’s law enforcement units following the disastrous rescue operation in the Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis should go hand-in-hand with the modernization of their forensic investigation capabilities using DNA technology analysis as a potent investigative tool in solving crimes.

It is not enough that law enforcers are equipped with the best equipment to respond to crime incidents but they should be also equipped with cutting-edge forensic tools to be able to solve crimes after they happen, he added.

Angara has filed House Bill 432, otherwise known as the DNA Analysis Enhancement Act of 2010 by enhancing DNA technology analysis as a potent anti-crime investigative tool.

“Not even the world’s most modern police force can always prevent a crime as they happen. That is why an efficient and modern system of anti-crime investigation using the all available technologies should be institutionalized in our law enforcement system,” he said.

Angara said breakthroughs on DNA technology has opened so many opportunities in the field of forensic science including the identification of potential suspects whose DNA may match evidence left at crime scenes.

DNA can also exonerate persons wrongly accused of crimes, identify crime and catastrophe victims, establish paternity and other family relationships, through its variable number identify endangered and protected species to prosecute poachers; detect bacteria and other organisms that might pollute air, water, soil, and food; match organ donors with recipients in transplant programs; and determination of pedigree for seed or livestock breeds, he added.

The bill also seeks to create the DNA Advisory Board under the NBI and will provide the statutory authority for the creation of the National DNA Index System (NADIS). - With Paolo Romero, Alexis Romero